バイリンガル英語小説 【Very Short】 第13話 ~Stepmother~

第13話　　義母　　~Stepmother~


　「お父さんが再婚すると言ったら嫌か？」

　ある晩、父は律とチキンカレーを食べながら突然そう尋ねた。

まだ四十五歳だった父がいつかまた母以外の人と恋をする事は想像していたし、

幸せになって欲しいという気持ちも律にはあった。ただ、もう少し

このままで居たいとも思っていた。

　「素適な人ならね」と言う返事に、その気持ちを込めたつもりだった。

　そして昨年の暮れ、まるでクリスマスプレゼントの様に、律の父は

義母を家に連れてきた。はにかむようにしている二人がお互いに交す視線を

見た時、もう決まっている話なのだと律は直感した。

　　“Wouldn't you like it if I though of remarrying?” One night her

father asked Ritsu out of the blue while they were having chicken

curry. He was 45 years old. Ritsu had always hoped for his happiness,

which included the thought that someday he would find someone

special to him. But when he actually said it, she didn't feel ready

for that, not just yet.

　　“Well, if she would be really superb of course.” Ritsu said

meaning she wanted things the way they were right now. However,

in the end of the last year, as if it was some kind of Christmas

present Ritsu's father brought a woman home with him who became

Ritsu's stepmother later on. Ritsu got an instinct that the decision

had already been made by seeing the shy way her father and

the woman looked each other.

　　その晩三人で食べた夕食が何だったのか、律は覚えていない。ただ、早く

食事を終えて自分の部屋に戻りたいとばかり考えていた。母以外の女性と

親しげにしている父を実際に見ると、律は許せない気持ちになった。

母がかわいそうだと思った。そして、父の将来については寛大だと思っていた

自分が、新しい一歩を踏み出そうとしている二人に裏切られたように

感じてしまう事に、自己嫌悪を感じた。

　　続く今年の正月に、義母を親戚に紹介している父の姿を見て、律は父が本気

なのだと分かった。皆喜んでいた。何より、叔母が言った「ああこの方ね」の一言で、

何も知らなかったのは自分だけだったことも知った。

父とカレーを作ることも無くなった。

　　Ritsu could not recall what she had for the dinner with her father

and her stepmother that night. All Ritsu remembered was just finishing

the dinner and going back to her room. As she actually saw her father

being intimate with other woman than Ritsu’s mother, she didn't like it

at all. She felt sorry for her mother. Also, she was disappointed with

herself because she had thought of herself confident enough to

handle it if her father would decide about what he was going to do

with his life. But the truth was she couldn't and she didn't like that

about herself either. The following New Year Day this year, Ritsu's

father introduced her stepmother to relatives. Then, she was certain

that he really was serious about getting remarried. All the

relatives looked happy. On top of that, when one of Ritsu's aunt

said “Oh, finally! She was the one.” Ritsu realized she was

the only one who had not known about it. Ritsu had not made the

curry with her father since.

　　二人は結婚式など行なわず入籍をして、春から三人の暮らしが始まった。父と

義母は律が想像していた新婚カップルにはならず、まるで何年も一緒に居る様な

ゆったり感が漂い、それが律にとっては逆に家を居心地の悪いものにしていた。

割れた食器や日焼けしてくすみ始めたカーテンが入れ替わるうちに、母の面影は

少しずつ家から消えて行った。母の味付けよりはほんの少し濃いめで甘い義母の

手料理を、律は好きだと思うことに後ろめたさを感じた。父はきれい好きで気が

利く義母を温かい眼差しで見つめていた。ずっと、それが悲しかった。

　　They didn't hold a wedding ceremony. They just registered their

marriage. Then, the life of three started the last spring. Ritsu's

father and her stepmother didn't become a honey-moon husband and

wife Ritsu had initially imagined they would be but the couple

looked just comfortable being together and that made Ritsu

uncomfortable around them at home in contrast. As chipped plates

and drab curtains were replaced with new ones, the things that

showed sings of Ritsu's mother faded away little by little.

The meals that her stepmother made were stronger and sweeter

than those of Ritsu's natural mother. Ritsu liked her

stepmother's taste and Ritsu didn't like she liked it.

She often saw her father give a warm look to her stepmother

who was tidy and solicitous. For a long time it hurt Ritus.

　「りっちゃんに何かあったら、申し訳が立たないもの」さっき、義母が言った

この言葉は、律の母に向けられているような気がした。制服を脱ぎ、長袖の

Tシャツに着替えようとした時、律の目から一筋の涙がこぼれた。自分の中に

長い間居座り続けた不機嫌な異物が、熔け始めたような感じがした。死んだ母の

ために意地を張っていたのではなく、自分は義母と競争していたのだ。

父を取られたくなかった。でも、義母は一度も律に対して攻撃的な態度は

とらなかったし、律に強引に近づこうともしなかった。

　　―もう、言い訳をするのは止めよう―

まだあまり時間が経っていないから義母に馴染めない、という言い訳。

着替えを終え、部屋を出て階段を降りると、冷やし中華の甘酸っぱさと

胡麻油の交ざったいい匂いがしてきた。

　　“If anything happens to you I can never allow myself to make

any excuses for that.”When her stepmother said that a little

while ago, Ritsu felt that the words were presented for her

natural mother. Ritsu took off her school uniform and as she

grabbed a T-shirt to put on, string of tears rolled down her

cheek. She felt some sour substance that had stayed inside

her for a long period, began to melt. Ritsu didn't compete

against her stepmother for her natural mother over her father.

It was just that Ritsu didn't want him to be taken away from her.

Never once had her stepmother been aggressive to Ritsu nor

pushed to get close to her.

　　―I have to quit making excuses now― the excuses that enough

time has not passed yet for Ritus to get along with her

stepmother. Ritsu finished change and left her room heading

downstairs and there, she smelled nice flavor of sweet-and-sour

mixed with sesame oil of Chinese-style cold noodle.


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